Happy 10 years of blogging to me. This has been a joy to share my experiences with self care, mental health, and so much more. There has been so many lessons that I plan to share. Overall the process to getting to 10 years has been filled with ups and downs. Some slow points, long nights, and more. Here are the lessons that I have learned in these 10 years.
Blogging is a full time responsibility
I have worked a full time job of my own in addition to this blog many times. However regardless if this is the main source of income or a supplement know that the responsibility is full time. If you are considering blogging and want it to grow you have to dedicate yourself to the craft. People are still reading blogs. They get their source of information from bloggers that they trust. If you want to become a trusted source you have to stay steady but give it time. Nothing is built over night. You can have a viral video happen but what you do with the video is separate. Not all bloggers are content creators. Not all content creators aren’t bloggers.
Blogging means that you have a dedicated webpage in order to drive an audience to it. Online people don’t want to be called an Influencer so they will call themselves a Blogger. This irritates my soul. As a Blogger we work hard dedicating ourselves to making timely content. So if you are stepping in this be sure you have thick skin.
Your Family and Friends aren’t your target audience
I remember in the beginning I was always saying family and friends didn’t support. To the point of making social media statues about it. I would get a few folks feeling guilty and reading but then I learned the hard lesson-family and friends aren’t the target audience. Interesting enough although they aren’t the targeted audience they don’t mind asking for a hook up.
Don’t even take your frustrations out on them. I am simple. If you ask me about a hook up and you have never posted my stuff-the answer is no. If you don’t bare minimum like me the answer is no. You will be surprised that the many people who will associate you when they think it will benefit them. I can see for the most part who shares things. I can go back and check thanks to social media so I am clear on who I let hitch to me. Most times the answer is no. It keeps things super simple. Also since a lot of folks know that the requests are smaller now.
Blogging and Collaborations
I do not share products or services that I do not vet myself. When I started I was firm on that and after 10 years I have kept that promise. All money isn’t good money. In addition I have a responsibility to myself and my readers to keep things aligned. Another part that I had to learn is to read the contracts or have my attorney go over everything. There is no friendship and money that can mix to the point where I screw myself. People ask me what should they charge and bare minimum you should charge at least whatever your rent or mortgage is off the top. Of course go higher but always start there.
No content should have you not able to make rent or mortgage in order for it to financially benefit you. That is on every deal. Not if you make your mortgage on one deal and then you get another go lower. Every single deal start at the top and negotigate down if you have to. Here are some more blogging tips.
Keep your Sanity by being organized
One of the skills I possess is the ability to be organized. Since 2nd grade I have always prided myself on making sure that I was organized. Since going from writing the blog to also creating content around it my schedule is full. This means that I have to know where I need to be at all times. In the last few months life has been happening and I have had to cancel a few things that I normally wouldn’t. In addition this means that I also have been saying a lot more NOs and adding more media blackout days. This means I will not take on a project or outing unless it’s one of my top brands and they are paying me.
These 10 years have not been easy. Doing this blog has caused issues in my personal life too. However it has been worth it. You don’t have to have it altogether to start. I started this blog 10 years ago on a phone. I have had 2 laptops and much more equipment since then. Trust me you can do it. Take your step now and say yes to yourself. That yes will open doors. The amount of things I have done, the companies I have collaborated with, the ways I have been able to financially secure my kids has all been worth it. Thank you to every one of you and your continued support. Cheers to 10 years.
Looking to get into the mix? Here is some starter equipment that you will need.
A special thank you to my family, friends, PR agents, social media mavens, Mentor, SheMedia, and the many who I can’t name.
